What else can I smoke?

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csharpdev

Found some matches.
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Other than the standard stuff (butts, ribs, brisket, etc) what other cuts are good for smoking? I'm new to smoking, haven't even assembled the smoker yet.

I buy my meat direct from local farmers by the half or whole. I currently have a half cow and half pig in my freezer with a whole lamb on the way.

As I'm sure folks are aware a half cow has 1 brisket (I had them leave the brisket whole) and a lot of not brisket. I'd like to save my brisket for after I get some experience...it'd be a lot of meat to waste.

Can anyone recommend other cuts of meat to smoke? Any cuts to stay away from? Keep in mind I'm a beginner.

I don't know why my signature isn't showing, but I have an Oklahoma Joe's Highland if it matters.
 
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Any fatty cut of meat does really well. Anything without a lot of fat you want to cook at higher temps so it doesn't dry out. Depending on your smoker, you can do both of those things which means just about any cut is within the realm of possibility.
 
Anything! that's the great part....have been doing rum/brown sugar/rub marinated pineapples recently...experiment...that's the fun of it!
 
A pork butt is a good cut to start on, chickens are also good (350deg or so to get crispy skin) you can take a chub of ground sausage unwrap it put some rub on it or not and smoke it. As was said you can smoke alot of things read posts here and you will see a varity of stuff done. Good luck!
 
Crab legs
pizza
meatloaf
corn on the cobb
squash cut length wise
smoked banana's
stuffed bell pepper's
And so on .
 
Whole turkey. I used to bake them for Thanksgiving, but now I only smoke them.

Moink Balls
Bratwurst
Salmon/fish
Meatloaf-one of my favorites

So much more, but other than what you mentioned, these are my go to dishes. I've been experimenting with cooking pizzas on the smoker too, just crank the heat up a bit more is all.
 
1911Ron said:
A pork butt is a good cut to start on, chickens are also good (350deg or so to get crispy skin) you can take a chub of ground sausage unwrap it put some rub on it or not and smoke it. As was said you can smoke alot of things read posts here and you will see a varity of stuff done. Good luck!
Click to expand...


Unfortunately the slaughter house screwed up and cut my boston butt into country ribs...the farmer let me swap an equal retail value of beef pot roast. Though if that hadn't happened I'm sure my wife would have put it in the crock pot by now.

I have a few whole chickens and a bunch of bulk sweet Italian sausage so I may have to try that.
 
You have a half of cow - so chuck roast jumps to mind. Smoked chuckies are delicious and you can do a lot with pulled beef- tacos, sandwiches, chili... the list goes on.
Leaner cuts don't so as well smoked.
Do a reverse sear on a steak - smoke it for a while then sear it on a hot grill.
As 1911Ron said pork is very forgiving, so if you are just starting out, grab yourself a pork butt or shoulder and get used to your cooker.
If you want to cold smoke some cheese the weather is getting perfect for that.
You really can smoke just about anything - just start reading here and your mind will be blown - there are some incredibly awesome and inventive cooks on this site. I can truthfully say my cooking has improved because of the things I have learned on this site - and not just smoking.
And seriously - cook a fatty- the one pound breakfast sausage 1911Ron mentioned.
Just unwrap your favorite brand and toss it, or better yet, 2, on the smoker whenever you are cooking ANYTHING - you'll thank us later.
 
csharpdev said:
Unfortunately the slaughter house screwed up and cut my boston butt into country ribs...the farmer let me swap an equal retail value of beef pot roast. Though if that hadn't happened I'm sure my wife would have put it in the crock pot by now.

I have a few whole chickens and a bunch of bulk sweet Italian sausage so I may have to try that.
Click to expand...
Cook the country ribs like a pork butt, it wont take as long, i did some on my kettle and my MIL went to town on them!:biggrin1:
 
"I currently have a half cow and half pig in my freezer with a whole lamb on the way."

Is it cut into sections or "primals"?

If so, dig out the shoulder clod.........real good for several ways of cooking.....

This about 1/2 of one, 13#.............

clodribszukes032.jpg


I went long for pulled beef, plugged with garlic cloves, but you can separate the sections & do some pulled & some more like a med. rare grilling as roast beef....

clodribszukes057.jpg


It's the section next to the chuck roll.............
 
I would normally cut a tenderloin into 2" steaks and reverse sear them. But if you have a whole tenderloin this might be something fun to try. I don't know how to imbed video but Steven Raichlen does an awesome Stuffed Tenderloin. It turns out like cheesesteak. Check it out..
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlI_bLN0KfE"]Primal Grill with Steven Raichlen-- Tenderloin Cheesesteak - YouTube[/ame]
 
Welcome to the community. Your creativity is the only limit when it comes to smoking/grilling anything. The great thing is, lots of great cooks on this site to inspire you and help you along your journey.
 
Pretty much anything you can cook in your oven, you can smoke...

Pig shots
PSB's
Meatloaf
Beef Short Rib Plate
Tri-Tip
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos
Mac and Cheese

Use the Google Custom Search bar at the bottom of the page and take a look at some of the things others have cooked. Then, let your imagination go wild.
 
Is there a subset of everything that is perhaps more forgiving/harder to screw up for a beginner? And the converse...are there things that are more difficult to get right and should wait until I have more experience managing a fire?


I had given some thought to the idea that it's basically a wood fired oven and even if I don't specifically add chunks of wood to smoke whatever I'm cooking it'll still pickup some smoke flavor. If we lose power this winter I maybe I'll bake a cake just for the heck of it.
 
Pork is very forgiving - butt, shoulder, hard to screw up.
 
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